Womens Murder Club Q&A

Womens Murder Club are a five man musical collaboration from Dublin City. They formed a band while studying at St. Marys college and have been together ever since. They have just released their debut E.P. ‘Pop Music’ which is available over on their Soundcloud page. I recently caught up with Sean from the band to ask him about musical influences, the process of recording an EP and where Womens Murder Club’s own brand of ‘Pop Music’ originates from.

So first of all, where did the idea for the name ‘Womens Murder Club’ come from?
‘Womens Murder Club’ is an American CSI-esque television show about a group of women who solve murder mysteries. None of us have watched it however, Cian, our guitarist saw it in a television listings in the newspaper and we all really liked the ring to it. It’s not profound or has any deep meaning, we just thought it sounded great.

When and how did the you first come together as a group?
It came together at school really , or at the end of our final year. We’ve always had a keen interest in sound and using it as a device of communication , so it wasn’t long before we decided to come together as a unit and share ideas.

At what point did you start to take it all seriously? When did you first start thinking about writing music and recording EP’s?
Well, we were never that much into doing covers of other peoples songs , so the writing part started immediately. As soon as we felt happy enough with songs, the recording of an EP came into question.

Did it take long to reach that point?
Our good friend Chris McCormack came to hear us play , and was kind enough to produce us in his home studio. Before the recording part started we talked endlessly on how it should sound . However, our busy time schedules pushed the recording process back a little. That was very frustrating.

How does the group work as a collective unit? What does each member bring to the table?
We share our ideas and try to combine them to make a song. Its hard for me to explain the process as it’s different each time .Influence and style varies from member to member , which is awesome because so many different sounds seem to flourish when writing songs .

If you were to put a label on your sound what would it be?
That’s a hard one to answer as I like the idea of our sound progressing and changing as time goes on. It is clear that you have a very unique sound. How important is it to maintain this?
I think its very important, ye. But I try not to think of that when writing songs . We’re open to new ideas and sounds, which can often lead to a unique sound.

What inspires and encourages you to keep making music?
We’ve always been attracted to sound. All types of sound that we hear has a great influence in the music we make . And we use the music we make as a device to express our feeling and thoughts.

How does it feel to have completed your debut EP?
Very good indeed. I mean its been sitting around for almost a year. We just wanted to put it out and let people hear it.

What were your main musical influences for the EP ‘Pop Music’?
Thats also a hard question to answer as we completed the EP some time ago, and I’m sure our choice of music has changed since then. We all share different influences . Some of us really like My Bloody Valentine and Joy Orbison, others tip there hat to Holy Other and David Axelrod , and others the Cure and These New Puritans. But its forever changing.

Do you feel that ‘Pop Music’ has a more personal appeal as it was recorded in a home studio?
For us it certainly did. We had the opportunity to take our time with the record so that was awesome.

Where did the title for the EP come from?
Its our version of ‘pop music’ I guess.

And do you think that today’s music scene is ready for your own brand of ‘Pop Music’?
Of course. Its just what it needs. We’re sick of hearing musicians release something or put a brand of music that sounds just like ‘day time radio music’. However we’re getting to hear some really great musicians from Dublin as of late, with really interesting sounds and styles and are looking forward to their upcoming releases.

What has the general reaction to the EP been? Are you happy with reviews it’s gotten so far?
Yeah we’re really glad that people like. Some people think its obscure sounding which is ok. Once people are honest when they tell us what they think.

How did you find the whole recording experience?
It was really awesome at times, as it was a whole new experience recording an EP. But it can be very stressful .

Is it something you would be eager in getting involved with again soon?
Yes of course. We plan on getting back in the studio very soon to record another record. I’m very excited as I’m extremely happy with our new material.

Are there any immediate plans to record an album?
So far, we don’t really know .

And finally, what are your plans for the future?
We wanna keep recording and writing , and gig a lot more also.